Art. the Sources for Miss Sara Sampson

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The Sources and Basic Model of Lessing's "Miss Sara Sampson"Author(s): Paul P. KiesSource: Modern Philology, Vol. 24, No. 1 (Aug., 1926), pp. 65-90Published by: The University of Chicago PressStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/433792.

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THE SOURCES AND BASIC MODEL OF LESSING'SMISS SARA SAMPSON'Lessing'sMiss Sara Sampson 1755),thefirstighteenth-centuryGermandomesticragedybiirgerlichesrauerspiel),scommonlyup-posed to have beenmodeled nGeorgeLillo's The LondonMerchant(1731).2Even its material s regardedby perhapsthe majority fthewritersnLessing s derivednlargepartfrom heEnglishplay,theprevailingiewbeing hattheplot s a fusion fthe eadingmotifsofTheLondonMerchantnd Richardson's larissa 1747-48).3Othertheoriesnrespect othesources ftheGermandomestic ragedyrethat it is primarily modernizationf the Medea theme;4 hatit isa dramatization-f the lifeofJonathan wift;5 hat it is a mosaicconstructedrom ragmentsakenfrom bout eighty iteraryworks(including he LondonMerchantnd Clarissa);6 that muchof ts m-portantmaterialwas derived rom ielding'sTom Jones 1749);7 hatitmayhave beensuggested yoneofthe ovetrianglesnCongreve'sThe Way oftheWorld 1700) but should be regarded s practicallyoriginalnplot.8Allthewriters, owever,whether r nottheyregardI This article s a condensationofa portionof a dissertation UniversityofChicago)-The Influence of English Drama on the Plays of Leasing.2 See the studies cited in the other footnotes to this paragraph. Cf. also AllardyceNicoll, A History fEarly Eighteenth enturyDrama, 1700-1750 (Cambridge, Eng., 1925),p. 120; Encyclopaedia Britannica (11th ed., Cambridge, Eng., 1910-11), XVI, 497; G. H.Nettleton, English Drama of the Restoration and Eighteenth Century (New York, 1914),p. 207.3Cf. Th. W. Danzel and G. E. Guhrauer, Gotthold phraim Lessing: Sein Leben undseine Werke 2d ed.; Berlin, 1880), I, 305-9; Gustaf Kettner, Lessings Dramen im Lichtsihrerund unaererZeit (Berlin, 1904), pp. 178-82; JohnBlock, Zeitschriftar dendeutschenUnterricht,VIII (1904), 230; Waldemar Oehlke, LessingundseineZeit (Munich, 1919), I,291 ff.4Cf. Wilhelm Scherer, "Gotthold Ephraim Lessing," Deutsche Rundschau, XXVI(Jan.-Mar., 1881), 279-80; Erich Schmidt, Lessing: Geschichte eines Lebena und seinerSchriften2d ed.; Berlin, 1899), I, 270-82.5J. Caro, Lessing und Swift Jena, 1869), pp. 70-77.a Paul Albrecht,Lessings Plagiate (Hamburg, 1888-91), I, 74, and IV-VI, 1872-2494.Albrecht (I, 74) maintains that the main sources of Miss Sara Sampson are Moliere'sDon Juan, Euripides' Medea, Seneca's Medea, Corneille's Midse, Lillo's The London Mer-chant, and Richardson's Sir Charles Grandison and Clarissa. Though he cites severalpassages fromThomas Shadwell's The Squire ofAlsatia and Charles Johnson's Caelia asparallelisms,he doessnot nclude these two English dramas in his list of mportantsources.7C. H. Clark, Fielding und der deutscheSturm und Drang (Freiburg dissertation;Freiburg, 1897), pp. 98-100.I JosefCaro, "Lessing und die Englnder," Euphorion, VI (1899), 475-77.[MODERN PHILOLOGY,August, 1926] 65

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66 PAULP. KIESThe LondonMerchants a principal ource, eem o assumethatLess-ingused Lillo's domestic ragedy s a model.None of the above-mentionedheories s correct.They havelittlemoreto commendhem hanthefactthat Miss Sara Sampsonresembles ts supposedsourcesand model in several conventionalfeatures,uchas theseduction heme, helove triangle,nd lachry-mosity.'Evidence willbe presentedn thispaper showing hat themain sources of Lessing's epoch-making rama are Thomas Shad-well's The Squire of Alsatia, Charles Johnson'sCaelia, and Mrs.Susanna Centlivre'sThePerjur'dHusband, nd that, fanyoneplaymay be regarded s its model,the distinction elongs,not to TheLondonMerchant, ut to Johnson'sCaelia. In otherwords, he in-fluence fLillo inGermany nd, consequently,n otherpartsofthecontinent fEuropehas beengreatly verestimated.

THE SOURCE OF THE PLOT OUTLINEThe general utline f heplot, heprincipal haracters,ndmanyof the details of Miss Sara Sampsonare found n Shadwell's TheSquire of Alsatia,a Restoration omedy.2Among hechangesnvolvednLessing'sutilization fShadwell'smaterial s theuse ofa tragic nding nd, consequently,n exclusionof ll comic eatures.This s inharmonywith heGerman ramatist'sdeclaration n 1766thatanymaterial an be treated ither omicallyortragically.3Whenhemade this ssertion, eprobably adthecaseof Miss Sara Sampson nmind.Moreover, heLucia episode n TheSquire ofAlsatia from he viewpointof the girlherself s alreadytragic.The Isabella story s reallytragi-comedy.WhenMrs. Ter-1These theoriesare discussed in detail in mydissertation.2Lessing seems to have been well read in Shadwell. The undated sketch Die Witzlinge(about 1748?) is based on Bury Fair (cf. Schmidt, op. cit.,p. 129). The use of the uncom-mon names Blunt and Triffelobviously the Germanized formofEnglish "Trifle") in DieWitzlinge nd the sketch Der guteMann (not later than 1753) implies that he knew TheVolunteers 1692) and The Virtuoso (1676). He studied Shadwell probably as early as1747, forhis Damon (1747) seems to be based chieflyon an episode fromBury Fair in-volving the rivalryofBellamy and.Wildish, two bosom friends,forthe hand ofGertrude.

My dissertationpresentsdetailed evidence. In a letterdated June 9, 1768, Lessing askedhis brother Karl to send him "Theile vom Johnson,vom Cibber und vom Shadwell."' "Mein Bruder," says Karl Lessing in the TheatralischeNachlass, I, XV, "behauptete,man ktinne us allem eine Komtdie oder Tragtdie machen, indem as mehr auf die Bear-beitungdes Stoffs ls auf den Stoffselbst anktime" (Leasings Werke ed., R. Boxberger;Berlin and Stuttgart, 1883 ff.], II, 238).



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SOURCES AND MODEL OF "MISS SARA SAMPSON" 67magantmakesherattempt o shootBelfondJunior, fatalending sobviatedonlybytheaccidentalfailure fthepistolto explode.'A second mportanthangemadeby Lessing s the.simplificationand unificationfShadwell'splot. He maintained hat the averageEnglish omedy,fappropriatedor he German tage,wouldhavetobe simplified.?his procedurewas hisregular racticewhenhe bor-rowed materialfrom complicatedEnglishplay.3 n the presentinstancehe used twoportions f theminorplotof TheSquireofAl-satia. For the sake ofconvenience,hesemaybe designated s theLucia and the Isabella motifs.The formernvolves heseduction fLucia byBelfondJuniornd theconsequentealousyofMrs.Terma-gant,hisdiscardedmistress;he atter onsists ftheattempt fMrs.Termagant o frustrate elfond'smarriageto Isabella and to takerevenge nhim.ThoughBelfond ndMrs.Termagant igures char-acters nboth riangles,heonly onnection etween hetwo motifsnrespect o theaction sthattheyoungman, norder omarrysabella,mustgiveupLucia as a mistress. he seductionmotifs welldisposedof t thebeginningfAct V,whereasmostof he sabellastory omesafter hatpoint.The last third fthe play containsnothing ftheLucia story xceptthe short ceneinforminghespectator hattheattorneys willing o take back his daughter.Duringthis portionofthedramathe minorplot is concerned hiefly ithMrs. Terma-gant's attempt o preventBelfond'smarriage o Isabella.Lessingevidentlywished o bring bout unityofactionwithoutsacrificingither hepathetic uciaorthe nterestingrs.Termagant.Ifhehadomitted heseductionmotif,r, notherwords, adusedther6leofIsabella in drafting isheroine, e wouldhave had merely1 t is interesting hat Jakob Dusch in 1758 mentionedas one ofhis criticismsof MissSara Sampson, "dass sehr oft das Komische herdurchsiehet" (VermischteKritische undSatyrischeSchriften,n Lessing im Urtheile einerZeitgenoasen ed., Julius W. Braun; Ber-lin, 18841, . 71). Since Dusch had no occasion to suspect that Lessing's domestic tragedywas based on a comedy, his remark s significant.2 "Wir lieben einen einfltigen Plan, der sich auf einmal Uibersehentsst. So wie dieEngltnder die franz6sischenSttickemit Episoden erst vollpfropfenmtissen,wenn sie aufihrerBilhne gefallensollen; so mttsstenwirdie englischenStiicke von threnEpisoden erstentladen, wenn wir unsere BIthne glticklichdamit bereichernwollten" (HamburgischeDramaturgie,No. 12). Gotthold phraim Lessings sammilicheSchriften originallyeditedby Karl Lachmann, 3d [rev.]ed. by Franz Muncker; Stuttgart,1886 if.), IX, 234. Here-afterreferences o this edition of Lessing's works will be indicated merely by the namesof the editors,thus: Lachmann-Muncker.3Cf. thesketch Der Leichegldubige,ased on the minorplot ofWycherley's The Coun-tryWife. Lachmann-Muncker. III, 252-55. For other instances see my dissertation.



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68 PAULP. KIESsimple ovetriangle,withMrs.Termagant s the obstacleto themar-riageofhero ndheroine. fhehad confinedimselfo theseductionmotif,Mellefont-Belfondouldhave been thevillain, nd Marwood-Mrs.Termagantwouldhavebeenonly subordinateharacter ren-tirelysuperfluous. ince Belfondand Mrs. Termagant appear inbothtriangles, ewas able toweldthe two motifs ogether yhavingSara-Lucia absorbtherbleof sabella. Mellefont-Belfond,nsteadofleavingSara-Lucia in order o marry nothergirl (Isabella), is for-givenby Sir WilliamSampsonand consents o marrySara-Luciaherself.'By thus combining he Lucia and the Isabella storiesof TheSquireofAlsatiaandmaking heending ragic,we obtain theoutlineofLessing's plot. A libertine educesan innocentyounggirl.A for-mermistressfthemanseeks oregainhis ove, and, norder osepa-ratehimfrom hehatedrival, nformshegirl'sfather fthestateofaffairs. he result s theoppositeofwhatshe expected:The fatherforgiveshewayward overs, nd the ibertine onsents o marry hegirl.The jealousmistress, yrevealing he man's past life, ttemptsto makehimrepulsive o thebride-to-be,ut herplan fails. Furiousoverherdefeat, hemistress laysherrival. About the first alfofLessing'splay representsheLucia story, nd theremainder he sa-bella material.The action centers roundthreemajor scenes: theconversationetween ara andMellefontnAct , based onthe corre-spondingdialoguebetweenLucia and Belfond n Acts II and IV ofTheSquire ofAlsatia;thecontest etweenMellefontndMarwood nActII, basedona similar cenebetween elfond ndMrs.TermagantinAct II ofShadwell'splay; and themeeting fMarwoodand SarainAct IV, based on thescenebetweenMrs.Termagant nd IsabellainAct IV oftheEnglishcomedy.The fusion fthesetwomotives aveMiss Sara Sampson tspe-culiar tructure.As has beenpointed utbycritics,2he catastropheis notthe result ftheoriginal omplication,ut is brought boutby

1 ther cases in which Lessing fused two characters are in Philint (Die Witzlinge),a combination of Bellamy and Wildish in Shadwell's Bury Fair, and in Hilaria (DerMisogyn), a combination of Constantia and Angelica in Lansdowne's The She-Gallants.For the evidence see my dissertation.

2Cf. Hermann Hfettner,Geachichte erdeutachen iteratur m achtzehnten ahrhundert(Literaturgeschchihtees achtsehnten ahrhunderts,art III) (6th ed.; Braunschweig, 1913),II, 465.



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SOURCES AND MODEL OF "MIss SARA SAMPSON" 69a deusex machina.The dramaopenswith the seductionmotif, heobstaclesto Sara's happiness eingherestrangementrom erfatherand the unwillingnessfMellefont o submitto themarriage ere-mony.The interferencef Marwood (whichat first epresentsMrs.Termagant's ealousy ofLucia, and later the desperate ttemptofthe mistress o frustrate elfond'smarriage o Isabella) is introducedat the end of Act I as a newcomplication. he lattercomplicationeliminates he first y resolvingt. Marwood's nformationo Sara'sfather esults, ot ntheseparation fthe overs, ut nSirWilliam'soffero acceptMellefont s hisson-in-law;nd her fforts ithMelle-fontmerelynducehim,through earof osingSara, to agreeto themarriage ite. In the last twoacts the first omplications entirelydisplaced by thesecond. The seduction hemedisappears nd Mar-wood, in order o prevent hehappyunionofSara and Mellefont,brings n thecatastrophe. ara perishes otbecauseshehas sinned,but because she has a rival. Even ifshe had not been seducedbyMellefont,hegirlwas to havebeenslainbyMarwood.

The contentionhattheplotof Miss Sara Sampson s based onthe materialof the Lucia and the Isabella storiesof The SquireojAlsatia is substantiated y abundantdetail n bothactionand char-acterization.This can be best presented y a considerationf thethreemajorcharacters fLessing'splay-Sara (Lucia plus Isabella),Marwood Mrs.Termagant), nd MellefontBelfondJunior).Sara, likeLucia, is an innocent irlwho falls n lovewith n at-tractive,good-naturedibertine nd is seducedby him.Neitherofthegirlshas brothers rsisters.'Both fleefrom heirhomesbecausetheir atherswould eparate hem rom heirovers;both aterobtainforgiveness. ara, likeLucia, is thesoft, assive,pining, elf-accusinggirl-the clinging-vineypeoffemalecharacter.Her grief ver herlapse fromvirtue,her ove forherseducer, nd her constantmis-givingthat afterall he may notbe sincere'-all this is strikinglysimilar o the patheticdialoguebetweenLucia and Belfond.3Mel-lefont'sexcuse fordelaying hemarriage eremony ecause of the

1 iss Sara Sampson, II, iv; Lachman-Muncker, II, 291.The Squire ofAlsatia, IV, il, p. 75. In this article all page numbersreferring o TheSquire of Alsatia apply to the followingedition: The Worksof Thomas Shadwell, Esq.(London, 1720), Vol. IV.2Act I. a IV, i.



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70 PAUL P. KIESlegacy is taken fromMrs. Termagant'sstoryto Isabella, Lessingusingit forboth Sara and Marwood.Marwood clearly hows her likeness o Shadwell'sMrs. Terma-gant. Likeherprototype,he sa jealousdiscardedmistressndservesas thevillain. She likewise t firstttempts o winback herformerlover. To separateSara fromMellefont,Marwoodreports hegirl'shidingplace to thefather,ust as forthe same purposeMrs. Ter-maganttells theattorney f hisdaughter's uilt nd promises ot topublish hescandal fhe willconfine ucia from elfond.Marwood,like Mrs. Termagant,has.a young daughterby Mellefont-Belfondand uses the childto soften he father'sheart. Both have lost theirvirtuebeforemeetingMellefont ndBelfond, utthereafterrefaith-ful to these men. Bothwomenbymeans ofclevercontrivancesuc-ceed in gettingnto thepresence f theirhatedrivals;both blackenthe characters fthe menand present hemselvesn as favorablelightas possible; in theiraccusations both speak both truth andfalsehood.Bothsaythattheycame from oodfamiliesnd inheritedmoderate states;thattheyhad manyand noblewooers;that theyacceptedMellefont nd Belfondonly after earnest and aggressivecourtships; nd that the successful uitorspromisedmarriagebutdelayed the ceremony ecause of legacies.Both are clever actors.Mrs. Termagant s actuallycalled such by Belfond:"She is a rareActor: She acts a Fit oftheMother he bestof nyoneinEngland."'Marwood herselfeveral imes allsattention oherposing, s: "Binich allein?-Kann ich unbemerktinmalAthemsch6pfen, nd dieMuskeln des Gesichts n ihrenatiirliche age fahren assen?-Ichmuss geschwind inmal n allen Mienen die wahreMarwood seyn,um denZwangderVerstellung ieder ushalten u k6nnen . .*.2Whentheyfailto ensnare heirparamours gain,bothmistressesbend all their nergies o takebloodyvengeance.Both in a fury fangry assion ttempt ostabtheir ormeroverswithdaggers.Bothtry oslaytheir ivals;Marwood ucceeds,whereasMrs.Termagantsfrustrated. oth threaten o killtheir hildrenn themostcruelandhorriblemannerpossible; Mrs. Termagantwill "pull" the child"Limb fromLimb,"3 nd Marwoodvows, "Ich willmitbegierigerHand Gliedvon Glied,AdervonAder,Nervevon Nerve16sen."41II, , p. 39. 2 V, v; Lachmann-Muncker, II, 324. 3 II, 1, p. 38.' II, vii; Lachmann-Muncker, II, 295.



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SOURCES AND MODEL OF "MIss SARA SAMPSON" 71Mellefont lso exhibits closeconnection ithhisEnglishproto-

type. Like BelfondJunior, e is a youngnobleman.Belfond s theson ofa baronet; Mellefont,houghnot designated s such,appar-ently s of the samestation, ince Marwood nposing s his auntas-sumesthe titleof "Lady." Both are profligatesnd gamblers.Bel-fond, ccording o Mrs. Termagant, requented privategamblingresort;'Mellefonts charged yNortonwithhavingwasteda fortunethrough is associationwithgamesters.2 oth are fashionableiber-tines. Belfonds "given oWomen;but tis inprivate; ndhe is par-ticular:No commonWhore-Master";3Mellefont, ikewise,has hadillicit associations with variouswomen--namely,Marwood, MissOklaff,Miss Dorkas,andMiss Moor--eachof whomwas hisprivatemistress t some particulartime.4Both are naturallydisinclinedtowardmarriage ecause twouldputthem nder estraint. ach hasan illegitimateaughter y a formermistress.The desirable haracteristicsfthetwomenalsoaresimilar.Bothareveryfond ftheirdaughters,nd,though heyhave difficultynobtaining ossession, avean earnest esire o providewellfor hem.Both are reformed. elfondconfesses hat Isabella has "subdu'd"him"eventoMarriage,"' ust as Mellefont ecides o submit omar-riagerather hanto loseSara." Belfond ivesup all viceforthe sakeof sabella,andMellefontsbroughto farbythebeneficentnfluenceofSara thathe has pangsofconscience,hedsa tearfor he firstimesince hischildhood,ndfinallyven killshimself o atone forhisguiltin connectionwith hegirl'sdeath. Both are so chivalrous s to tryto takeall theguiltuponthemselves; elfond, o his owndisparage-ment,declares hatLucia is innocent,7ndMellefontmagnanimouslyinsists n telling ampsonthathe alone was to blame forSara's de-fection.8Two ofLessing'sminor haracterslso shouldbementionednthisconnection.Arabella, hough epicted s severalyears lder ndgiven

I IV, v, p. 82.2I, iii; Lachmann-Muncker, II, 271.' I, i, p. 27.4IV, viii; and II, iii. Lachmann-Muncker, II. 333 and 285.SII, i, p. 35.SIII, v; Lachmann-Muncker, II, 311.7IV, vi, p. 102.a IV, i; Lachmann-Muncker, II, 315.



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72 PAULP. KIESa small peaking art, s clearly erived romhe llegitimateaughterof BelfondJunior nd Mrs. Termagant.Sir WilliamSampson, al-though n characterization odeledon Lovemore n CharlesJohn-son's Caelia, has in theacts representingheLucia story bout thesame plotfunction s thatofShadwell's ttorney.Several other triking arallelismsmaybe observed.Marwood'sreflectionhata goodreputation,ather hanvirtue tself,s the m-portant hing1 as presumablynspired ytheattorney's emark,nregard o Lucia, that "nexttoherbeing nnocent,s theconcealing fherShame."2Sampson's tatementhathe wouldrather e lovedbyawaywarddaughter hannot at all, and thatsuch transgressionssSara's are betterthan enforced irtue,3may be traced directly oSir Edward's educationalphilosophyhata father houldabove allseekto winthe oveofhissonby generositynd indulgence,ventothe extent fgiving imfree ein o sowwildoats.4Again,Sampson'sdefense,t thecloseof hedrama, fMellefont'sharacter5sreminis-cent ofSir Edward'sdefense fBelfondJunior'sexual rregularities-.Probably lsoMarwood'sdemand, Nun sagenSie es nocheinmal, bSie festentschlossenind,micheiner ungenNdirrinnufzuopfern,'"7was suggested yMrs.Termagant's uestion, For what ittledirtyWencham I thusus'd?"8A brief tatement ftheforegoingrguments now norder. Thechanges nvolved nthetransformationfthematerial fTheSquireofAlsatia ntopartofMissSara Sampson-theconversion f comedyinto a tragedy, nd the simplificationnd unificationf the plot-are in agreementwithLessing'savoweddramaticprinciples. f wecombine he Lucia and the Isabella stories f TheSquire ofAlsatiaby makingone character fthetwogirls, nd ifwe thenmake the

I "Sie [i.e., Tugend] ist ohne ihn [i.e., guten Namen] ein albernes Hirngespinnst,daswederruhignoch glticklichmacht. Er allein giebt ihrnoch einigen Werth,und kann voll-kommen ohne sie bestehen" (II, vii; Lachmann-Muncker, II, 294).2V, vi, p. 102.3"Solche Vergehungensind besser, als erzwungeneTugenden, ... Ich wilrdedochliebervon einer asterhaftenTochter,als von keiner,geliebtseynwollen" (I, i; Lachmann-Muncker, II, 268).4 Dramatis personae, under "Belfond Junior"; Act I, p. 28; and II, i, pp. 42-45.6"Ach, er war mehrunglilcklich, ls lasterhaft" (V, x; Lachmann-Muncker, II, 352).*Act I, p. 28.7 I, vii; Lachmann-Muncker, II, 294.* I, 1,p. 39.



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SOURCES AND MODEL OF "MISS SARA SAMPSON" 73endingtragic,we have the outlineoftheMiss Sara Sampson plot.The threemajorcharactersfMiss Sara Sampson--Sara,Marwood,and Mellefont-have counterpartsn Lucia (plus Isabella), Mrs.Termagant,and Belfond Junior. ir William Sampson,the mostimportantof the minorcharacters,has approximately he samefunctionn a portion ftheplot as has the attorneyn Shadwell'sLucia story.Arabella sderived romhe llegitimate aughter fMrs.TermagantndBelfond unior. here remany trikingesemblancesofdetailbetween hetwodramas n both action nd characterization.A few f hesepoints, o be sure, re found lso inCaelia-a secondsourceofMiss Sara Sampson--namely,he seduction, he flight fthegirlfrom erhome o livewithher over, hesubsequent orgive-nessby herfather, erpassivepersonality,nd the seducer'snoblebirth.These features, owever, re onlya small proportionf thematerial nwhich heplaysofShadwell nd Lessing agree. In otherwords, he solating vidence s sufficientn amountand significanceto warrant hestatement hatLessingderived he outline f hisplot,theprincipal haracters,ndmanydetailsfrom heSquireofAlsatia.'SOURCES OF SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL

Severalsecondary haracters nd someminorportions f the ac-tionofLessing'sdramawere uppliedbyCharlesJohnson'sCaelia,2sentimental omestictragedy n prose.The processof combiningthe Caelia featureswith the materialderivedfrom The Squire ofAlsatiawasfacilitatedythefact hat, s has ustbeenmentioned,heseduction heme nd severaldetailsused inMiss Sara Sampsonarecommon o the twoEnglishplays. In fact,Caelia has a scene corre-sponding o thebasis ofthe first fLessing'sthreemajorscenes. InActI, scene i,ofJohnson'sragedy,s inActII, scene ,andAct V,scene , ofShadwell'scomedy, girl, n thepresence f themanbywhomshe has been seduced, s bewailingher condition. n thefol-lowing discussion, nlythe features ot occurringn The SquireofAlsatia will be cited.1This point will be further iscussed after the details fromCaelia and The Perjur'dHusband have been considered.2In the marginof the manuscript of the HamburgischeDramaturgie, Lessing madethis notation: "Die Ephesian Matronvon Ogilby,v. Cibbers [The Lives ofthePoetsofGreatBritain and Ireland] II, 267.-Die Eph. Matr. von Chr. Johnson vid. V, 342" (Cf. LessingsWeTrke ed., R. Boxberger; Berlin and Stuttgart,1883 fi.], II, 22).



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74 PAUL P. KIESTwo secondary haracters ontributedyCaelia are Sir WilliamSampsonand hisservantWaitwell.The former,hough lready ug-gestedby Shadwell's attorney, s almost an exact photograph fJohnson's ovemore.Like his counterpart,e is an old man, a re-tiring nd somewhat ld-fashionedountry entleman, ospitable ohis intimate riendsnd indulgent o his daughter.Both fathers yinsistingn a high tandard fmoralityorce heirdaughters oleavehome, nd afterwardreely orgive otonlythegirlsbut also these-ducers.Both are so sympatheticnd emotional hat theytearfully

yieldto theirgrief.Waitwell,who has no suggestionn TheSquireofAlsatia exceptthenameless nd entirelyonventional ervantofSirWilliamBelfond, s theMeanwell ofJohnson's ragedy.He is thefaithfulldfamilyervant.He shareshismaster's evotion ndsenti-mentalitynd has the samefunctionntheactionas hasMeanwell-to assista grief-strickenathernseeking ndredeeming iswaywarddaughter.An important haracteristic f Lucia-Caelia-Sara that Lessingprobably doptedfromCaelia is hernoble birth. nstead of being,likeLucia, thedaughter fa London awyer, ara is, likeCaelia, thedaughter f a country entleman, baronet.A pointin whichtheGermandramatist efinitelyollows ohnsons inraising hevirtue fhis heroine bove that ofShadwell'smaiden.Sara, like Caelia, sur-renders ervirginitynlyon thepromise fmarriage,whereasLuciaknowsthat she is nothingbut a mistress; gain Sara, like Caelia,grievesbecause of herhighmoralstandards,whereasLucia's mainconcerns the fearofbeingfound ut. The otherJohnson ariationswhichLessing doptsfor hecharacter fSara are in themselvesessimportant,ut for hatveryreasonespecially ignificantn showingthat the GermandramatistutilizedCaelia. Whereas Lucia leaveshomeduringhe course f hedrama,Caelia andSara have been ivinginhiding or wo months efore heopening fthe action. The timecorrespondsxactly;Johnson ays, "This veryDay, twoMonths,"'and Lessing,"Die neunteWochefingtheutean."2 The mothers fCaelia and of Sara are dead, whereasLucia's mother s living;but

I I, 1,p. 3. In thisarticle all page numbers n references o Caelia apply to the originaledition: Caelia: or, The Perjur'd Lover,London, 1733.2I, vii; Lachmann-Muncker, II, 273.



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SOURCESANDMODELOF "MISS SARA AMPSON" 75hereinLessingmakes an additional hange,n that Sara's diesat thechild's birth,whereas Caelia's dies of griefover the daughter'sdefection.'The accountofthemeeting fSara and Mellefontn Miss SaraSampson s practicallydenticalwith heexpositionn Caelia. John-son has Meanwellsay:SevenMonths repastsince hisMr.Wrongloveeturn'dromtaly,wheremy youngMaster,Caelia'sBrother, y'd-Theywere nseparableCompanions-Mr.Wronglovead the careofhisAffairs,ndbroughtisPapers oClareville, here e was ook'duponby myMaster,s hisSon'sdearest riend-thereforee wish'dhimwell, ndreceiv'd,nd entertain'dhim; s youknow edoes llFriends-withnopenHeart. ... Caelia'sBehaviouro thisMr.Wronglove,erBrother'sriend,nd Father's uest,was,at first,uchonly s became erEducation nd herManners:WhatWitchcrafthis ishonestoungMan had n hisTalk,howwickedly,ow n-hospitably,e mprov'disOpportunities:owhebetray'd er; hedeplor-ableMisfortune,he nfamye hathbroughtntheFamily,an better ellyou, han nyWords hich canutter.2Lessinggivestheequivalent fthis o Sir William ampson:Ich verstattetehm,wegen inerVerbindlichkeit,ie ichgegenhnzuhaben laubte,inenllzufreyenutrittnmeinem ause. Es warnatiirlich,dass hm iedankbareufmerksamkeit,ie chfiirhn ezeigte,uch ieAcht-ungmeiner ochteruziehen usste. ndeswar bensonatiirlich,ass icheinMensch onseiner enkungsarturch ieseAchtungerleiteniess, iezu etwasHdhermutreiben.rhatteGeschicklichkeitenug ehabt,ie nLiebezu verwandeln,he chnochdasgeringste erkte,nd ehe ch nochZeithatte,mich ach eineribrigenebensartuerkundigen.as Ungliickwar eschehen.. .3.The letter-writingetweenfather nd daughter n Miss SaraSampsonalso comes fromCaelia. In both plays the grief-strickenfatherwrites letter o thewayward aughter aying hatheforgivesherand proposes reconciliation ithher seduceron conditionhattheyoungmanmarry er. In bothworks hetrusty ldfamily erv-ant deliversthe message.A slightdifferences that in Johnson'sdramaMeanwell,who precedeshis master to London, is giventheletter efore e eaveshome,whereasnMiss Sara SampsonWaitwellI Norton, who seems to inheritsome of his characteristics fromJohnson's Bellamy,will be discussed in connectionwith Centlivre's The Pertar'd Husband.2 I, i, pp. 2-3.a III, i; Lachmann-Muncker, II, 299.



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76 PAULP. KIESdoes not receive t untilSir WilliamSampsonalso has arrived. nbothplaystheservant, n leavingthegirl,promises o returnn anhour-in Caelia to bring ovemore nd inMiss Sara Sampson o getSara's letter n reply. n the motivation f this letter ncident heGermandramatistwas less successful han his Englishpredecessor.SirWilliam nd his servanthave taken rooms t thevery nnwhereSara and Mellefont re living.Even if Sir Williammightproperlythink t expedient o puthismessage ntowriting,here s no reasonwhySara shouldnotfly mmediatelyo theadjoining oom nd intoherfather's rms.The difficultyn Lessing'splay is that father nddaughter re under he sameroof.Lessing's ifthctappears ohave beenmodeled nthecorrespond-ingdeath scene nCaelia. Both scenes re devisedto bring heaudi-ence to tears.Although he differencesn the plot' preventclosesimilarityfdetails, fewpoints f ike actioncanbe cited. In bothplaysthe fathers henmeet theirdaughters aceto faceforthefirsttime n the courseofthe dramas. In boththe oy ofreconciliationssoon changed o grief.Bothheroines uffermental gonybecauseoftheir errors.Both freelyforgive hose by whomthey have beenwronged.Bothdielingeringeathswhile heir oved onesmourn ndweep.Oftheseparallelisms,hree reunusually triking: hecharactersof Sir William Sampson and Waitwell versus their counterparts,Lovemore nd Meanwell,respectively;ampson'sstory fthemeet-ing ofSara and Mellefont ersusMeanwell'sreport fWronglove'sseductionof Caelia; Sampson'sletterofforgivenesso Sara versusLovemore's etter o Caelia. The other contributionsf Caelia dis-cussed above are several characteristicsf Sara and severalfeaturesofthedeath scene n the Germanplay. About a fourth fLessing'stextrepresentsmaterialborrowed romJohnson. n short, he evi-dence howsclearly hat nthepreparationfMiss Sara Sampson heGermandramatist tilizedCaelia.

The third mportantourceofMiss Sara Sampson s the mainplot of Mrs. Centlivre'sThe Perjur'dHusband (1700), a domestic1 ue to the material taken from The Squire of Alsatia and The Perjur'd Husband.



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SOURCES ANDMODEL OF "MISS SARASAMPSON" 77tragedy.'The reasonfor he association fthisplaywith hematerialtakenfrom heSquire ofAlsatia s probably hefact thattwoof tsimportantcenes resomewhat imilar o twoofLessing's hreemajorscenes. In the scenebetweenBassino and Aurelia n Act I of ThePerjur'dHusband, s in that between elfond ndMrs.Termagant nAct II of The SquireofAlsatia (Act II of Miss Sara Sampson),awoman eekstoregain he oveof manwhohas resolved opartwithher. In the scene betweenPlacentia and Aureliain Act V of ThePerjur'dHusband, s inthatbetweenMrs.Termagantnd Isabella inAct IV ofTheSquire ofAlsatia (Act IV of Miss Sara Sampson),awomanmakesan unsuccessfulttempt hrough cleverartifice oinduceherrivalto giveup theman.Act V of Miss ara Sampson, essing's limax, howsvery tronginfluencesrom entlivre's lay.Somefeaturesf his cene, o besure,are to be found n TheSquireof Alsatia,as whenMrs. Termagantseekstoprejudice sabella againstBelfondJunior ydisparaging imas much as possible,partof the storybeingtrue and partfalse.SofarLessing ollows hadwell, ut nother espectshesceneresemblesmoreclosely he end of ThePerjur'dHusband. Lessing'sMarwood,likeMrs.Centlivre's lacentia, omesdisguised s a relative fMelle-font-BassinoPlacentia says first hat she is Bassino's brother,ndlater hatshe s hisbrother-in-law),hereasMrs.Termagant, houghshe resortsoa deception oget n,goestoIsabella'shome nher owncharacter.Again, nThePerjur'dHusband, s inMiss Sara Sampson,the twowomenare alone,whereas n The Squire ofAlsatia othercharactersrepresent.Lessinguses thescenefor xactly hesametechnicalpurpose sdoesMrs. Centlivre. n TheSquire ofAlsatia t servesmerely o re-tardthedenouementybringingnanother omplication.Aftersa-bellahas agreed otheplanofescaping romcrapeall'shouse for hemarriage eremony, rs. Termagant ucceeds n prejudicinghegirl

2Lessing evidentlywas well acquainted with Centlivre's plays. He seems to havetakensomequalities ofRiccaut de la Marliniere n Minna vonBarnhelmfrom heMarquessof Hazard in her The Gamester. Both impostors pretend to be of royal blood; Riccautsays, "du sang Royal" (IV, ii; Lachmann-Muncker, II, 230), and the Marquess ofHazardboasts "of his Royal Blood" (V, ii; 2nd ed., London, 1708, p. 61). Cf. Schmidt, op. cit., ,475. The charactername Conti in Emilia Galottimay also have come fromTheGamester,inasmuch as the supposed Marquess of Hazard has been a "Footman to the Prince ofConti" (V, ii. London, 1708, p. 61). In 1751 Lessing reviewed a French version of Cent-livre's A Bold Stroke ora Wife Lachmann-Muncker, IV, 263).



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78 PAUL .KIESagainstherwooer, ut thestay sonly emporary. he discardedmis-tressdoesnot killherrival; nfact, n this cene hedoesnot evenat-tempt o do so. In both Miss Sara Sampson nd ThePerjur'dHus-band,on the otherhand,this scenebrings n the catastrophe.BothMarwoodandPlacentia, fter ailingogain ympathyor hemselvesor to turn theirrivalsagainstthemen,take the lives of the otherwomen.Details of the scenes correspond losely.The conversation sopened n the sameway,Marwood ndPlacentia bothpretendingobe well-wishersnd payingflattering ompliments o their hatedrivals. The latter ays:MyBrother, adam,sextreamlyappyIn being avour'dyso fair Lady.'Marwoodsays:Ichmuss mVergebungitten, iss, ass ch ofreyin,michmitmein-eneignen ugen ondemGlickeeinesVettersu iiberfiihren,em chdasvollkommensterauenzimmerwiinscheniirde, ennmich icht leich erersteAnblickiberzeugtiitte,asseresin hnen ereitsefundenabe.2The storywhichMarwoodthentells,though he detailsthemselvesare partly akenfromTheSquireofAlsatia and partly nventedbyLessing, s intended or hesame purpose s Placentia's. Both Mar-wood and Placentia t firsteemtosucceed ntheir chemes ut ntheend merely rouse the resentment nd angerof Sara and Aurelia.Sara calls Mellefont's ormermistressineverhdrteteuhlerin,3ust asAurelia efersoPlacentia s "Mistress" nd "debauch'd."4Provokedbytheseappellations, othMarwoodand Placentia reveal their rueidentitiesnd inthe nextmoment illtheir ivals.The contention hat Lessingis hereusingmaterial takenfromThePerjur'dHusband s strengthenedy the fact thathe does notsucceed nmotivatingtsatisfactorily.n the first lace,hehad diffi-culty n bringinghe two womentogetherwithout he presenceofMellefont.Even ifwe concede hatMellefontmighthave beenper-suadedtointroduceMarwood s hisaunt,hewouldnothave left uch

1 , ii, p. 35. In this article all page numbers in references o The Perjur'd Husbandapply to the original edition: The Perjur'd Husband: or, the Adventures of Venice, London,1700.2III, v; Lachmann-Muncker, II, 309.' IV, viii; Lachmann-Muncker, II, 335. 'V, ii, p. 36.



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SOURCES AND MODEL OF "MIss SARA SAMPSON" 79a violentwoman lonewith ara, no matterhoweagerhe was to re-ceive a messagerelative o the legacy.Again,the real Sara, as de-pictedelsewheren thedrama, s not capable of sucha bold and de-fiant tandas thepartrequireshere.An Aureliaon beingprovokedcan call Placentiaa strumpetn theveryfaceof the rival'sbrother,but the reserved,hrinkingersonalityf Sara cannotbe conceivedas hurlinguchwords t theapparent Lady Solmes,"who hethinksis a friend fMarwood. Thesimple xplanationsthatLessing sheredealingwitha borroweddea. When an author inventsfeatures factionwith ertain haractersnmind,he is less likely o fall nto n-consistencieshanwhenheassigns othecharactersffectiveassagestakenfrom therrbles.After he clash ofthe tworivalwomen,Mrs. Centlivrehastenshertragedy oa rapidclose,butLessing,norder ogivethe heroinelingeringnd tearful eath, dds a wholeact. It is no doubtfor hisreasonthathe has Marwoodadminister oison nsteadof, ikePla-centia,usinga sword.This scene,thoughmodeledto a largeextenton thedeathscene nJohnson's aelia, has significantesemblancesto the catastrophe fThePerjur'dHusband.Bassino arrives o dis-coverAureliadying, nd killsPlacentia nrevenge;Mellefont omesto find ara at thepointofdeath,and inhisragethreatens o strikedownhermurdererfshe comeswithinhis reach. Both menrushabout aimlessly, lmostbesidethemselves ecause ofwhat has hap-pened. Bassino natonementontrives o fallbythe word fAlonzo;Mellefont akeshisown ifefor hesamereason.Furthermore,araforgives arwood nthe amemanner s Aurelia orgiveslacentia.Placentia is clearly vident n Lessing'sMarwood,especially nthe softeningnd elevating f the qualities taken from hadwell'sequivalentcharacter.Mrs. Termagant, hard "humour"characteraccording o theschoolofBen Johnson,s notdesigned o arouse theleast pity,but is usedmerely s a goad uponBelfond o show that"wenching"doesnotpay. When t is time to endthedrama, he isdisposedofbya bribe ntheform fan annuity f a hundred ounds.Marwood,on theotherhand, s no longer lmostan abstraction fjealous fury, ut is muchmore ympatheticallyrawn. In fact, hecomesdangerouslyeartousurpinghepartof a heroinenthesym-pathyofthespectator,hecase being omewhat nalogous o that of



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80 PAUL P. KIESShakespeare'sShylock.Relievedofthemercenaryspect, he is con-trolledwhollybythe motiveof ove--not o unselfishnd sincere sthat of Lucia-Sara, but nevertheless enuine.Like Placentia, shefollowsher false over husband n Mrs. Centlivre) o another ity.Unable to win back his love or to prevailupon the otherwomantorenouncehim, hebrings eathtoherrival.Mrs. Termagant, xceptforShadwell's llogicaldenouement,ursuesher courseofvengeancerelentlessly,utMarwoodwavers or timebetween hetwoemotionsoflove and revenge.Lessinggiveshismistress betterclaimuponMellefont-Belfondhan doesShadwell. In thisrespectMarwood s acompromiseetweenPlacentia,who s a legalwife, nd Mrs.Terma-gant,who, thoughdeclaring erselfngaged, s a mistress.Actuallyshehas beenpromised marriage eremony,ut ithas been deferredbecause ofa legacywhich s tobe left o Mellefont n condition hathemarry certain istant elative.In Act I ofThePerjur'dHusband,Aurelia,ikeMrs.Termagant-MarwoodinAct II ofTheSquire ofAlsatiaand Act II ofMiss SaraSampson,playsthepartofthetemptress.Here also thetwotragedieshave strikingimilarities otfound n the comedy.Whereas n TheSquireofAlsatiaMrs.Termagantsnever resentednherownrooms,in both ThePerjur'dHusbandandMiss Sara Sampsontheprincipalscenes betweenBassino-Mellefontnd Aurelia-Marwoodake placein the apartments fthe latter. The scenesopen in the same way.Mrs. Centlivre ndicatesas stage directions:"Aurelia's Chamber;She in an Undresswith lorella,"'which essinggivesas "Der Schau-platz stelltdas Zimmer er Marwoodvor, n einem ndernGasthofe.MarwoodimNeglischee.Hannah."2 In each case, after conversa-tion betweenmistress nd maid discussing he situation, he manenters.Mrs. Termagantn thecorrespondingcene ofTheSquireofAlsatia makesthe attack on Belfondwithout weapon,whereas ntheother woplaysshe sgiven dagger.LessingfollowsMrs.Cent-livre lso inhavingAurelia-Marwoodfferostabherselfnd be pre-ventedby Bassino-Mellefont.

Anotherdetail fromThe Perjur'dHusbandis that Mellefont smade to waver between oyalty o Sara and reawakened ove forMarwood. In TheSquireofAlsatia Belfond s not attractedby his1 ct I, p. 4. 2 II, 1; Lachmann-Muncker, II, 281.



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SOURCES NDMODELOF "MISS SARA AMPSON" 81formermistress, erfunctioneingmerelyoplaguehim;but in ThePerjur'dHusbandBassino is tornbetweendutytowardhiswife ndlove forAurelia.Even thesettingnLessing.s strikinglyimilar oMrs. Centlivre's.Bassinoand Mellefontre introduced'n thesameway. In each casethetime smorning. he waveringover s showninhisownroomn hisnight-gown.2e is ina bad moodafter sleep-lessnightwithhisconscience.Thenin each case the confidantntersand givesa moralsermon.Both Bassino and Mellefont re warnedagainstvisiting he apartments ftheirtemptresses,ut theycon-sider hemselvestrong nough oresist nyallurements.Mrs. Cent-livrehas thefollowingialogue t thispoint:

AnrANDDo:Have youwellweigh'd heDangerofthisVisit?BAssINo: WhatDangercan therebe?ARMANDO: Danger myLord-Considerwell how feebleOurReasonsagainsthepow'r fBeauty-BAssINo:MyResolution'sirm;o Charm an shake t.AmP-LDO:fnotherBeauty, ear er yren ongue;Fearher ndearingrayers,er ondReproaches,Hertenderighs, erVows, er ricklingears.Nay-ifallthese rove ain, ear erDespair,AWoman,nabandon'dWomans age.BAssINO: Were theremoreDangersyet, 'll stand emall;MyHonour idsmepaythis arting isit:MyHeart hallhaveno sharenwhat 'll speak.Trustmethis nce, ndbeyourelf witness,Bassino an controulnlawfulove.-ARMANDo: My Lord, tiswithRegret see yougo.MayHeaven ssist ou nthis angeroustrife.3Lessingputs tthus:NORTON:s wirdhr inen lickkosten,ndSie iegenwiederu ihrenFiissen.BedenkeniewasSiethunl iemiissenie nichtprechen,derdasUngliickhrerrmenMiss svollkommen.MELLEFONT: IchUngliicklicher -Nein,chmuss iesprechen. iewiordemich is ndemZimmerer ara uchen,nd lle hreWuth egen ieseUn-schuldigeuslassen.NORTON: Aber,meinHerr--MELLEFONT: Sagenichts asssehenIndem r ndenBriefieht], bsieihreWohnungngezeigtat.Hier st ie.Komm, iihre ich. Siegehenb.14' Bassino, to be sure, already appears in the previous scene, but he says only a fewwords,the purpose ofthe scene being to start the minorplot.SLessing says, "unangekleidet" (I, iW; Lachmann-Muncker, II, 270), and Mrs.Centlivre, "In his Night-gown" (I, ii).SI,U, p. 4. * , ix; Lachmann-Muncker, II, 280-81.



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82 PAULP. KIESWhereas nShadwell's omedy elfondsunmoved ythepleasofhisdiscardedmistress,n Mrs. Centlivre's nd Lessing'stragediesBas-sinoand Mellefontre bothshakenfromheirgoodresolutions; as-sinoentirely uccumbs, utMellefontfterwardallies.This waver-ingon thepartofMellefont s very mportantn thedepiction fhischaracter,omecritics ecauseof thisregarding imeven as a weak-ling. He becomestherebyconsiderablymore impetuousthan hisprototype.Lessing'sNorton ombines he functionsf Armandon The Per-jur'd Husbandand ofBellamy nCaelia. A specific oint n whichherepresentshe formers in attemptingo dissuadeMellefont romseeingMarwood gain;one nwhich e resembleshe atter s inadvis-ingMellefont omarry ara without elay. A pointofcharacteriza-tionwhichNorton nherits rom ellamy s thatformerlye has ledthekindof ife orwhich eis now orry.He speaksofhimselfs "einBedienter, er uchetwasBessers eynk6nnte, enn r, eider arnachgelebtha*tte."' nstead of beinga moralizing riend-confidant,ikeArmando nd Bellamy,Norton s, like Mrs. Centlivre'sFlorella,amoralizingervant-confidant.Lessing'sgleaningsrom hePerjur'dHusbandmaybesummed pas follows.Act I of Miss Sara Sampsoncontains two shortscenesrepresenting aterial romMrs. Centlivre's lay: scene ii,in whichMellefonts shown roubled yhisconscience; nd scene x, nwhichNorton warnshis masteragainstvisitingMarwood. These details,togetherwithqualitiesfromBellamy n Caelia and Florella in ThePerjur'dHusband, ccountfor hecharacter f Norton.Some ofthematerial or hemeeting fMellefont ndMarwood nAct II ofMissSara Sampson s takenfrom hescenebetween assino andAurelia nThePerjur'dHusband.By thismeans, hadwell's almBelfondJuniorbecomes an impetuousMellefont, lover waveringbetween twowomen. mportant dditions o Lessing'sclimax cene Act IV) anditspreparationAct III, scenev) comefrom hefatalscenebetweenPlacentiaand Aurelia n ThePerjur'dHusband.Act V ofMiss SaraSampson s approximatelyhe catastrophe f ThePerjur'dHusbandexpanded fter he manner fthe deathscene nCaelia. The delinea-tionofthecharacterfMrs.Termagant-Marwoodssoftenedndele-vatedunder he nfluencefMrs.Centlivre's lacentia.1 V, il; Lachmann-Muncker,I, 320.



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SOURCES AND MODEL OF "MISS SARA SAMPSON" 83The reasonfor he conclusionhatLessingbased hisploton The

SquireofAlsatiarather hanon Caelia is thatthe borrowedmaterialto be foundonly n the formers considerably reater nd more m-portant hanthat found nly n the atter.As has beenshown, had-well's comedy,with hewelding ogether f the Lucia-Belfond-Mrs.Termagant nd the Isabella-Belfond-Mrs.ermagant ove triangleand with tragic nding, ontains he wholeoutline fLessing'splot.If we shouldsupposethatthe Germandramatist sed Caelia as thebasis and addedfeatures rom heSquire ofAlsatia,Shadwell'sworkwouldstillhave suppliednecessarilyhe extremelymportanthar-acterof Marwood-Mrs.Termagant nd theessentialfeatures f theactionrepresentedy the Isabella story nd by Mrs. Termagant'spart in the Lucia story. n otherwords,Caelia lacks Lessing's ovetriangle,woofhisthreemajorscenes, nd thestrongestfhisthreeprincipal haracters. f he beganwiththe materialofTheSquireofAlsatia,theprocessofaddingminor eatures factionand of char-acter fromCaelia and The Perjur'dHusband was comparativelysimple.Had hebegunwith hematerial fCaelia,he wouldhavebeenforced o seek outmanyofthemajorfeatures f his plotfromTheSquireofAlsatia,and thento supplementomeofthe newscenesbymeansofsuggestions erived romThePerjur'dHusband. In short,the partsfromCaelia and ThePerjur'dHusbandare merely upple-mentarymaterialsfitted nto the original plot derived fromTheSquireofAlsatia.The contributionsfthethreeplaysdiscussed ccountforprac-tically ll thesignificant aterial f Miss Sara Sampson. In Act I ofLessing'stragedy heprincipalcene-that between ara and Melle-font-combines hecorrespondingcenesof TheSquireofAlsatia andofCaelia, Sara's plea for heperformancefthemarriage eremonycoming rom he atterwork.Most ofthe material f scene ii,show-ingMellefont's roubled onscience,nd ofscene x,containing or-ton'swarning gainsthismaster'svisit to Marwood, s takenfromThe Perjur'dHusband.Norton'sadvice in scene v that Mellefontmarry ara immediatelys similar oBellamy'sdemandupon Wrong-love in Caelia. Scenesi and ii consistofexposition.The remainingscenesof Act I aremerely ransitional.Act II, which s devoted o Marwood'sattempt o regainMelle-font's ove, s based on thescenebetweenBelfond nd Mrs. Terma-



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84 PAULP. KIESgant in The Squire ofAlsatia, supplementarymaterialbeingaddedfrom he correspondingcenebetweenBassino and Aurelia n ThePerjur'dHusband.The first our cenesofAct III deal withmaterialtakenfromCaelia: namely, ir WilliamSampson's etter fforgive-ness,and theaccountofSara's seduction.The latterpartof Act IIIand nearlythewholeofAct IV are occupiedwith the meetingbe-tween Marwood and Sara; this section s based on the visit ofMrs.Termagant o Isabella inTheSquireofAlsatiasupplementedymaterialfrom he clashbetweenPlacentia and Aurelia n ThePer-jur'd Husband.Act V is a fusion f the catastrophe f ThePerjur'dHusbandand ofthedeath scene nCaelia.The threeEnglishplayssupply lso all of thesignificantharac-ters.Marwood is derived rom heMrs.Termagant f TheSquireofAlsatia, elevatedprimarily nder the influence fPlacentia in ThePerjur'dHusband.Mellefont s theBelfondJunior f The SquireofAlsatia, nfluenceds to hiswavering yBassino n ThePerjur'dHus-band. Sara is Lucia and Isabella ofTheSquireofAlsatia,modifiedythe title character fCaelia. Arabellarevealstheillegitimate augh-terofBelfondJunior nd Mrs. Termagant n TheSquireofAlsatia.Sir WilliamSampsonrepresentshadwell'sattorneyn partbut ismore specificallymodeledon Lovemore n Caelia. Waitwell s theMeanwell of Caelia. Norton, a moralizing ervant-confidantikeFlorella in The Perjur'dHusband,takes the place of the friend-confidants,ellamy nCaelia andArmando n ThePerjur'dHusband.The remainingharactersre not of ufficientmportanceo be takeninto consideration. annah and Belford re conventional ervants.Betty,exceptforbeingsentimentalized,s the same. Der Wirt p-pears nonlyoneshort cene, ontributingfewwords o theexposi-tionwhile howing irWilliam ampson ndWaitwell otheir ooms.'

THE BASIC MODELContrary o the viewgenerally eld by scholars,LessingreadEnglishdramaextensivelyn theearlyyearsofhis literary areer-

probably s earlyas 1747. He surelyhad studied t extensively yI As shownnmydissertation,hevarious therworkshathavebeenproposeds thesources or heplotof Miss Sara Sampson ontributedothing utcomparativelynim-portantmaterial,uch s thecharacterames, fewminor oints fthe ction, nd someaphorisms.



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SOURCES AND MODEL OF "MIss SARA SAMPSON" 851748, and by 1755knewthe plays of at least seventeen probablytwentyor more)Restoration nd earlyeighteenth-centurynglishwriters.At thetimeof theproduction f Miss Sara Sampson 1755)he was wellread in Englishdomestic ragedies.He certainly newCharlesJohnson's aelia (1733), Centlivre'sThe Perjur'dHusband(1700), Cooke's TheMournful uptials (1739; published n 1744 inaltered orms Love heCauseandCure fGrief), tway'sTheOrphan(1680),Rowe'sTheFair Penitent1703),Hill's TheFatalExtravagance(1720), Lillo's TheLondonMerchant1731), and Moore's TheGame-ster 1753). In addition othesehemayhavescrutinizedhetextsofSoutherne'sTheFatalMarriage 1694),Heywood'sA WomanKilledwith indness1607), ndthe nonymous Yorkshireragedy1608).'Consequently, he domestic ragedy o be regarded s the specificmodelofMiss Sara Sampsonmustresemble he Germanplay veryclosely ntype. TheLondonMerchant ailstomeet thistest,differingfrom essing'sdrama nseveral mportantharacteristics. aelia, onthe otherhand,agreeswithMiss Sara Sampson in everyessentialpointoftype nd form,heonlydramato do so.An extremelymportant eatureof type in whichThe LondonMerchant iffersnd Caelia agreeswithMiss Sara Sampsonis thesocial setting.Lillo'splaytreats he ifeofthemercantile lass. Theleadingcharacter, arnwell,s a clerk, nd thevocation fthetrades-man is extolled:I wou'dnothaveyouonlyearn heMethod fMerchandize,ndprac-tise thereafter,erelys a MeansofgettingWealth;twill e wellworthyour ains o tudyt s a Science,o ee howt sfoundednReason,ndtheNature fThings; owtpromotesumanity,s ithasopen'd ndyetkeepsupan ntercourseetweenations,ar emoteromne nothernSituation,Customsnd Religion; romotingrts, ndustry,eace and Plenty; ymutual enefitsiffusingutual ovefromole toPole.2Maria because ofheraffectionorherfather's lerk s indifferentotitledwooers. n Miss Sara Sampson,on the otherhand,the socialsetting s thatofthe lowernobility, xactlythe same as in Caelia.The heroine,ara, ikeCaelia, is thedaughter f country entleman.If Lessinghad used The LondonMerchant s his model,he would

SEvidence givenndetail nmydissertation.SIII, 1,p. 28. In this rticle llpagenumberseferringo TheLondon MerchantpplytotheoriginalditionLondon, 731).



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86 PAUL P. KIEShardlyhave changedLucia, the lawyer'sdaughter f The Squire ofAlsatia, into a gentlewoman.Again,The LondonMerchants founded n a legalistic asis,civillaw playing prominentart n theaction.Barnwell nd Millwoodinpunishmentor heir rimes ie onthegallows.But withLessing'sdrama the case is otherwise.As severalscholarshave emphasized,Miss Sara Sampson s a Familientrag-die,'hecriminal ourt nd thehangman being omitted. Schmidt characterizes he play thus:"'Bfirgerlich' ls ein StUickmodernen amiliaren ebens mit Con-flicten es Gewissens, ie hierwederderPolizei noch der strengenHaus- und Gesellschaftsmoralufallen, ondern m engstenKreiseVernichtungund Vergebung thrinenerzwingend erbeiftihren."2This is frequentlyeferred o as a greatimprovementn Englishdomestictragedy Lillo's The LondonMerchant nd Moore's TheGamester eing usually thought f as the characteristicxamples).The supposed changeis said to be the resultof the influence fRichardson'sClarissa. Oehlkeregards heFamilientragidies a dis-tinctive xpressionf heGerman pirit.3 hefact, owever,sthatthisis exactlywhatLessing oundnCaelia. Thuswe have another easonfor concluding hat Lessingdid not patternhis domestictragedyafterTheLondonMerchant.A strong eligiousnote permeatesTheLondonMerchant. arn-well's uncle, on being stabbed,praysforthe unknownmurderer.Thorowgood s the ideal Christian.AfterBarnwelland Millwoodhavebeenconvicted, e sends divine othem oprepare hem or heotherworld.Onbeing ssured hatthewayward lerk asexperienced"the nfinite xtentofheavenlyMercy,"4hegoodoldmanexclaims:0 theJoyt gives oseea Soul form'dndprepar'd orHeaven Forthis hefaithful inisterevotes imselfo Meditation,bstinence,ndPrayer,hunninghe ainDelightsf ensual oys,nddaily ies hat thers

1 C. Th. W. Danzel and G. E. Guhrauer, Gotthold phraim Lessing (2d ed.; Berlin,1880). I, 303.2Erich Schmidt, Leasing (2d ed.; Berlin, 1899), I, 273.S"Lessings bilrgerlichesTrauerspiel ist deutsch und unterscheidetsich deutlich vondem englischenVorbild. Er stellt das gefiShrdete ittengesetz auf eine neue Grundlage,die in England nur im Roman Geltung hatte: die Familie. Dieser Begriffst es, der ge-bietend und zugleich versohnend das Drama durchzieht und ihm so die kriminalistischeFiLrbungnimmt" (Waldemar Oehlke, Lesaing und seine Zeit [Munich, 1919], I, 294).4V, ii. p. 57.



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SOURCESAND MODEL OF "MIss SARA SAMPSON" 87mayive or ver...... .If theRewardf llhisPainsbe topreservene oulfrom andering,r turn nefromheError fhisWays,howdoeshethenrejoice,nd ownhis ittle abours ver aid?1Barnwell, ecauseofthe comfortfreligion,an face deathserenely:"I find Powerwithin hatbearsmySoul above theFearsofDeath,and,spight fconscious hameand Guilt,givesme a Taste ofPleas-uremore hanMortal."2Ashe is ledawayto thegallows, erequestsof his friends: Pray for hePeace ofmydeparting oul."3 The vil-lainoftheplay,Millwood, s a warningo the rreligious. he speaksof thedevilas "that maginary eing,"4 nd scoffs t those whopro-fessto be religious: WhateverReligion s in it self, s practis'dbyMankind, t has caus'd theEvils,yousay, t was design'd o cure."5Obstinately efusingheministrationsfthedivine entbyThorow-good, "She goes to Death encompassedwithHorror, oathingLife,andyetafraid o die; noTonguecan tell herAnguish nd Despair."'In neitherMiss Sara Sampsonnor Caelia is the religious lementprominent.The fourth oint n whichCaelia resemblesMiss Sara Sampsonmore losely handoes TheLondonMerchants instructure.Allthreeplayshave unityofaction,'and all threedisregard he classicalruleoftheunity fplace.s In thematter ftheduration ftime,however,there s an important ifferenceetweenTheLondonMerchant ndtheother wo. Lillo's play opensat theverybeginning fthestory,andtheactionofthe dramacovers arnwell's irst isit oMillwood'shouse, his unsuccessful ttemptto break with the courtesan,hismurder f hisuncle, heexposure nd captureofBarnwell nd Mill-wood,thetrial,and finally hesummons o thegallows.Miss Sara

SV, ii, p. 58.2 V, iii, . 59.' V, x, p. 66.

IV, xviii, p. 52.SIv, xviii, p. 54.*V, xi,p. 67.' Though, as has been noted, Miss Sara Sampson has two complications, they are soclosely interwoven hat theactionmust be regardedas unified. Unityofaction clearlywasthe author's aim.sMiss Sara Sampson was an important factor in the emancipation of the Germandrama ofLessing's day from herestrictions ftheFrench neo-classical theoryofstructure.On May 3, 1755, in the Berlinischeprivilegirte eitung,Lessing said sarcastically concern-ing Gottsched:"Dieser beriihmteLehrer hat nun linger als zwanzig Jahr seinemlieben Deutschlanddie dreyEinheiten vorgeprediget, nd dennochwagtman es auch hier,die Einheit des Ortsrecht mit Willen zu libertreten.Was soll daraus werden?" (Lessing im Urtheile einerZeitgenossen ed.,JuliusW. Braun; Berlin, 1884], I, 51).



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88 PAUL.KIESSampson,on the otherhand, ike Caelia, presents n the stage theincidents fonlythe astday,theprevious ventsbeing mparted othe spectatorthroughexposition.Consequently, s between TheLondon Merchant nd Caelia, the lattermay be supposed to haveexerted hegreaternfluencen the structuref the Germanplay.LThe only characteristicsn which The London Merchant greescloselywithMiss Sara Sampson re in the didacticelement,achry-mosity, nd prosedialogue.These arefound lso in Caelia.The didacticelement s as prominentn Caelia as in Miss SaraSampsonand The LondonMerchant.Not onlydoes the story tselfimposea strongmoral,but the charactersmoralizefrombeginningtoend. Caelia's self-accusationsresimilar oSara's; Bellamy'swarn-ings to Wronglove re even moreforcefulhan thoseof NortontoMellefont.The tragedy nds with definite tatement fthemoral,Meanwellsaying:Alas poorLady theTumult fher oul s done: Horror ndPain,Re-proach, nxiety,ndShame,refled ogether.lush, lush, eLibertines;surveyhisdreadfulcene fWoe;andaskyourHearts,fpoorunhappyCaelia deserv'dhisUsagefromheMan she ov'd. Cou'dyoubutfeelFather'sGrief, ou'dyounot hink imwrong'd? e whopleadsCustom,vicious ustom,or rimesike hese,enouncesllPretensionso JusticerHumanity. Then etthis toryeach nbridledouth,Honour anonly e secur'd yTruth.In the Preface o thepublished ext s added: "If these ScenesshallhaveanyEffect nthe MoralsofourYouth,and provea CautiontotheYoung and Innocent fthe Fair Sex, I shall thinkmy selfwellrewarded."Wronglove,ikeMellefont, iesrepentant.The play is fullofpathosand emotionalism. his note is struckat theverybeginningyMeanwell's ad announcementhatCaelia'smother as died ofa brokenheartoverthe daughter'sdefection,scontinuedn the tearful cene between hegirland the old faithfulservant nd thatbetween he latter nd thefather, nd reaches ts1 hisparagraphsnot ntended o mply hatLessing's ecision odisregardheruleoftheunity fplace n MissSara Sampsaonasduechieflyo Caelia. Ashasbeennoted,hisknowledgefEnglishdrama,which arely onformedotheclassical heory fstruc-ture,wasextensive.A playthatmayhavebeenparticularlymportantncausinghimtobreakaway from he strict bservance f the threeunities s The Perjur'd Husband,whichs a source fMias Sara Sampson and has approximatelyhesamearrangementfthescenes n question.



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SOURCES AND MODEL OF "MIss SARA SAMPSON" 89climax n thetouching eathsceneof the ast act. Caelia is a highlypatheticfigure.Her waywardness, hich s the cause of hermisfor-tune, s excusedon theground f her ardent oveforWronglovendherchildlikerustnhim.As is shown ythe author's wn tatement,pathoswas oneof his chief ims. In theProloguehe requests ftheaudience,"Encourageand rewardhim [i.e., the author]withyourTears." In the Preface o theprinted ditionhe saysthatat theper-formance f the tragedyhe had the pleasureofseeingmanyofthespectators join withCaelia inherTears." As stated nthePreface,his purpose n introducinghesatiricalbrothel cene was "to raisetheDistressofCaelia."Caelia,as well s TheLondonMerchant,salmost ntirelynprose.Theverse f heformeronsists f nly hePrologue,heEpilogue, wosongs, nd eight ines at theendsofscenes;that ofthe atterofthePrologue, heEpilogue, nd fifty-threeinesoftheplayproper.MissSara Sampsongoesa stepfartherhaneither ftheEnglish ragediesby omittingheversealtogether.TheLondonMerchant,hen, annotbe said tohave exertedmuchinfluence nMiss Sara Sampson.Lillo'splay smerely ne ofa groupofdomestic ragedieswhich essingknew, nd in itsdistinctivehar-acteristics-themercantileetting, he legalisticbasis, and thereli-giouscoloring-itdiffersrom heGermanproduction.Neitherdoesitsstructurelosely esemblehatofMiss Sara Sampson.Even inthefewfeatures ftype nwhichTheLondonMerchantgreeswithMissSara Sampsonwe should nfer, nless a reasoncan be givento thecontrary,hatas betweenTheLondonMerchantnd Caelia the atteractuallyexerted hegreaternfluence. he manner nwhichLessingfitted etails fromCaelia intothe plot derived fromThe Squire ofAlsatia ndicates hatheknewJohnson'sentimentalomesticragedyvery horoughlynd thathehad it constantly efore imduring hecompositionfhisown.Moreover,the characteristicsn which The LondonMerchantagreeswithMiss Sara Sampsonare common o manydramasandother iterarywritings ithwhich essingwasfamiliar.The didacticelement ad longbeenstressednGermany,nd Lessinghimself addone considerablemoralizingnDamon (1747), Der Freigeist1749),Die Juden 1749),andHenzi published 753). Moreover, ll three f



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90 PAULP. KIESthe chief ourcesof Miss Sara Sampson--Caelia,ThePerjur'dHus-band,and The Squire ofAlsatia--have an avowed moral purpose.Furthermore,essing arlyhowed tendencyowardachrymosity.Prose ragedyadbeen atherommonnGermanynthe eventeenthcentury,nd had not ntirelyisappearedy hemiddle f he ight-eenth.OnJanuary1,1754, essing adpraisedheuseof heproseformn thetragedy mirene, ublishedntheHamburgischeeytrdge(1753).J n short,Miss Sara Sampsondoesnotseemtohave anyim-portant eatureshatmayproperlye regardeds contributionsfTheLondonMerchant.2Muchofthehistoricalmportance,hen, hathasbeen ssignedto The London Merchant elongs o Caelia. Probablyno one woulddeny hat,f he atter rama atherhan he ormerasthemodel fMissSaraSampson,ohnson'slaywas a farmoremportantactorthanLillo's ninauguratinghegreat ogue fdomesticragedynGermanyn the latterhalfoftheeighteenthentury.eventeenactualmitationsfMissSaraSampsonetween755 nd1777 redis-cussedby Sauer.3 essing's wnEmilia Galotti1772),oneofthefamousragediesfGermany,s nrealitymerelymaturertudy fMissSaraSampson, significantmprovementeing he liminationof the excessivemoralizingndlachrymosity.oethe, chiller,ndothers ontinuedhetraditionfdomesticragedy. y suchmeansthe ine f uccession ay e saidtoextendo bsen ndthroughimtothemodernocialdrama fvariousountries. PAUL P. KIESSTATEOLLEGEFWASHINGTON

1 achmann-Muncker,. 381.The evidencefortheunsupportedtatementsmadein thisparagraph nd in thenext spresentednmydissertation.2Even the indirect influence of The London Merchantupon Miss Sara Sampsonthrough aelia, Clarisa, and other iterary orksmusthavebeenvery mall.Lessing'splaycontains nlyonecharacteristichat was an innovationfLillo as faras Englishdrama s concerned,heexclusive ralmost xclusive se ofprose n tragedy; nd thisfeature,s noted bove,wasnot n innovationnGermany.' AugustSauer,"JoachimWilhelm on Brawe derSchtiler essings,"Quellen ndForschungen ur Sprach- und Culturgeschichtser germanischenVilker,XXX, 81-110.

Documents

Art. the Sources for Miss Sara Sampson